The Darkest Truth
by Flightless Falcon
Summary: Some people have secrets that they think are dark, but Bella Swan knows that hers is a dark as the souls she fights. Surviving one day used to be a victory in itself but now she finds herself completely broken and with a new challenge: Normalcy. AU.
1. Starting Over

**Disclaimer: **The plot of this piece is inspired by the Eric Kripke's ingenius Television show, _Supernatural _as well as Stephenie Meyer's enthralling Twilight books_._This story contains characters from the Twilight series. They belong to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer. I have only tweaked some of them a bit.

**Rating: **M

**This is an AU fic. Bella, Charlie and possibly Jacob are a bit out of character. Everyone else is pretty much the same...hopefully. There are are a few original characters as well. **

**Summary/a bit of background: **What if everything you thought you knew about the world was a lie? What if your parents were wrong when they told you that monsters didn't exist? Isabella Swan never had that luxury. Her life has been scarred by this knowledge ever since she was two, when her mother ran off with a attractive young, Phil Dwyer, a hunter of everything Supernatural. From the beginning Bella's life was wrought with darkness, vengeful spirits, ghouls, evil Witches, demons, Wendigos, and most other supernatural beings that are talked about in ancient Folklore. Life was always bad, even if Bella's mother wouldn't admit it. They were constantly on the road, and their homes were often run down, roach and rat infested motels. It was very rare that Phil would opt to rent out a house, but that was only for cases that Phil decided would be long and drawn out. Bella was never allowed to keep much of a social life, all she had were fellow hunters. Although exceptionally bright, Bella was also kept from school. Instead she had to settle for homeschooling, which Bell didn't mind. What she did mind was the lifestyle. She never had a childhood for her training had begun at the age of seven when Phil began to teach her to use various weapons as well as to fight. By the age of ten she was out hunting with the rest, all the while her life began grumbling around her. This was how life was for her until that faithful night when her world came crashing down and she lost everything. That night marked what she hoped would be the end of her life as hunter and the begining of a normal life, even if she no longer had her mother to help her through. She would have to settle for Charlie and the comfort of the small town that her mother mistakingly fled years before. But she soon learns that you can never escape who you are and that even if you run your demons will follow you whereever you go. Figuratively and literally.

* * *

_September 1st, 2009_

_Mom,_

_It's a clear night tonight. The moon is full, and I can actually see the stars. For once the skies over Forks are cloudless and pretty. Too bad I can't say the same for my life. It's not your fault, though; so don't worry about it. If anyone is to blame, it's Phil. He ruined my life. You probably won't believe me, you never did, but Phil ruined yours too. It's because of him and his lifestyle that the both of you aren't alive anymore. I'll never forgive Phil, but at least I can move on…right? Has it really been six months since the two of you were killed? I left Henry and Elena and I'm here in Forks now, with Charlie. I'm starting that normal life just like you wanted. He's happy to have me. It's a shame that I make his nights miserable. I still have nightmares, Mom…not the normal kind that you can forget about, either…real ones…I can't forget these, Mom. You aren't here to comfort me anymore either. What am I going to do? Sure, I have Charlie and he's always in my room the second that he hears my screams…but, he doesn't know the truth, Mom, and I can't bring myself to tell him. I've lived with this burden since I was two, and I can barely handle it…I'm not going to ask Charlie to handle it now when he's pushing fifty. I refuse, because even if he somehow believes me and doesn't send me to an asylum, I know I'm going to lose him. The kind of truth that I'd be confessing to him, would give him a heart attack for sure. A good man like Charlie doesn't deserve that. He's going to continue to live a happy life under the notion that all he has to worry about is drugs, human violence, and animal attacks. I'm giving Charlie what I've always wanted, ignorance of the truth. _

"Bella? Are you ready to go?"

I sighed as I set down my pen and slid the desk chair back. I left my old leather bound journal open on the desk as I walked to the door. "No, Dad…can I have a few more minutes?"

"We're running late!" He responded, very clearly frustrated.

"Really! Just a few more minutes!" I turned away from the door and closed it behind me. I'd lost track of time. It's not like I wanted to go to this stupid party anyway. People having fun, laughing, and joking, oblivious to the world around them. I hated it. But I chose to come here and live a normal life rather than pursuing the life that Phil, my step dad, wanted me to pursue. I pulled on my dark, skinny jeans, and whatever sweater I had pulled out before I started writing in my journal. My hair was fine, the best it had been in months. It was sleek and straight, and that was fine because I didn't want to take the time to do anything to it—not that I had time anyway.

When I was finished, I turned back to my desk, and the open journal on top of it. I picked up the blue ballpoint pen I had been using and finished my entry:

_I miss you, Mom. But I'm glad you aren't around anymore…you don't have to live through the hell anymore. All you have is bliss…but if Phil is sharing it with you…I'm sorry._

_Love,_

_Bella_

Writing letters to the dead, I was really losing it now. But it's definitely not as if I hadn't been before everything happened. From day one of the life I had to share with Mom and Phil my life had begun it's slow downward spiral.

"Bella, let's go!" This time all of his patience was gone.

I slammed the journal shut and grabbed my parka from closet, before I ran downstairs. Charlie shot me a dirty look and I grinned as I moved past him. "What? I'm waiting for _you._" I made sure my voice was heavy with teasing. He was fighting back a smile as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door with me. This was easy. I could do this. I could be a normal teenage daughter.

We walked in silence down the rain soaked driveway—the only evidence that it had rained today. Charlie opened the door for me. Uh-oh. This wasn't a good sign. Every inch of me screamed not to get into the passenger seat, but I did. Whatever Charlie wanted to talk about, it was definitely something I couldn't run from. This time, however, I failed to listen to my deep rooted intuition. It was just going to be a talk if anything. He wasn't going to kill me. The sad part of all of this is that I had to convince myself of this fact. But after reminding myself that my life was different now. But once I finally reminded myself a few times, I was able to get into the car. Charlie didn't seem to notice my hesitation.

.::.

We had gone a mile before Charlie finally spoke. We were stopped at a red light—the only stoplight in Forks—He reached over quickly and turned off the radio. Oh man, this was going to be really bad. But as long as he didn't go dark side on me, which he wouldn't, I knew I'd be fine.

"Bella." His tone was almost apologetic. I gripped the seat. This was it; he was finally going to send me away, but to where? I had nowhere to go. The dread swept over me. I didn't want to go back to that life. A foster home was the only option. I'd run away before I ever let that happen, but I wouldn't go back to my old life.

"Bella, are you listening?" His voice was stern, and it snapped me from my miniature panic attack.

"Sorry, Dad." I responded dryly. _Just get on with it already!_

"Do you remember, Doctor Spinster?"

Of course I remembered him. He was one of Charlie's buddies that I met when I first came to Forks a month ago. He was a psychologist working in town, and all he seemed interested in was interrogating me. He was a creepy elderly man in his late sixties. He had these cold gray eyes that seemed to pierce right through you. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I thought about him and his fake smile. I nodded without word as I began to feel suspicious by the unchanging apology in his tone.

"I talked to him last night, and I told him about the nigh—"

"You told your friend about my nightmares!" I was outraged and betrayed. How could he go and tell that weirdo about my nightmares? Worse still was that weirdo was a psychologist. What had he been thinking? I soon got my answer.

"I told a _psychologist_ about your nightmares. He was still working." He explained calmly. The light turned green, but I knew he wasn't going to drop it. "You have an appointment with him tomorrow."

"I'm not going!" There wasn't a single soul on earth who could be as livid as I was at this very moment.

"You need to talk to someone, Bella. And since you won't talk to me…your own father…" Oh there was guilt now too! What had I done to poor, sweet, Charlie? He probably thought I hated him. "…I thought you could talk to a professional."

"Look, Dad." I inhaled slowly and exhaled to relieve the anger. He was just trying to do right by me like a good father. _Not like Phil_, who never really was a father but he was the only one that I was allowed to really know. Mom hadn't told me about Charlie until she was dying. "I'm sorry, I haven't been talking to you…but this is something I need to deal with on my own."

"But I want to help."

"You took me in." I reminded him.

"You're my daughter…I wasn't going to kick you to the curb."

"Still, it's enough." He wasn't swayed. I sighed. "Thank you, Dad…but all I need is a little time. I promise that I'll come to you when I need you. But now is not the right time."

He nodded stiffly. "Okay…I guess I can do that." He agreed reluctantly. There was nothing more to be said as he eased into the full county hospital parking lot. It was time to be the person that I wasn't.

.::.

"Why are we here again?" I muttered quietly as I took in the full lobby. Everything was all so very festive. I could feel the gag reflex kicking in. I really didn't want to be here. But I knew that this was part of the job description of being normal. I also knew that this was far better than how I used to be.

"Doctor Cullen gave a large sum of money to this hospital, so that there could be a wing dedicated solely to pediatric care. We as a town, are thanking him for his generous donation." He responded in a tone that suggested he didn't want anyone knowing that he had to remind me about this. He was right to do so. It was kind of terrible for me to forget something this big, and normally I wouldn't. But, the nightmares hadn't really allowed me to keep a clear head either.

"Right."

Charlie moved off to speak to some police friends of his. I greeted them politely before I moved off. Doctor Spinster was in the group as well, and I really didn't want to see him. I hated to be under his scrutinizing gaze. It was unsettling. He has as person was disturbing on his own.

The lobby was small, but welcoming. It didn't scream death, pain, and suffering as most hospitals did. It was warm and I almost felt at ease here. It was an effect that could only be created by the presence of so many people. I bet that when this place emptied it would be as creepy as every other hospital. But, for now it was filled with celebrating town folk who were so visibly aglow with happiness. The atmosphere was kind of nice. Maybe I would enjoy myself tonight.

After a moment of standing their alone, I began to wonder if I should go back to Charlie. I didn't want to appear lonely and lost. God forbid someone come over and try to make conversation with the new girl. I didn't want to cause any awkward moments, and with me that was a certainty. My social life before this was nonexistent at best. All I had before everything had happened was the job that I had to do, and homework. I wasn't even allowed into the public school system because we moved around too much. I was homeschooled, even though my homes were the many run down motels that we stayed in. Life before Forks sucked, but I hadn't yet decided if this new life would suck all the same. I'd have to wait for the school year to start. That was only a little more than a week away. My first real experience with school and people my age. High school. Oh hell.

People were starting to stare as I stood there in the middle of the lobby. I probably look disoriented to them. Maybe I should've moved sooner. I headed directly for the appetizer table, making sure to move with a purpose so they would leave me alone. But who was I kidding? I'm the new girl. The chance of them leaving me to my own was about as good as a turtle really beating a hare. When I arrived at the small, rectangular, fake wood table, covered in a cheap, blue, plastic, tablecloth, I scoped out the pickings. There wasn't much that I wasn't interested in, but I picked up a pig in a blanket anyway and munched away happily…until about a moment later.

All of a sudden I felt a pair of eyes on my back. An uneasy feeling settled over me and I turned around at once. I was ready to strike if need be. But what my eyes met wasn't what I had been expecting at all. A few feet off, separated from a cluster of people, stood the most handsome guy I had ever laid eyes on. After a moment he smiled, but there was something about his smile. It didn't meet his eyes. Could eyes really be that gorgeous shade of honey? I could see them from where I stood. Could anyone really be that gorgeous? But his smile threw me…there was something off about it. I took a hesitant step and he turned away. But I was sure I knew what emotion he was showing in those deep, golden pools. It was bewilderment, and then for the fleetest of moments frustration.

It threw me for a loop. Why would he feel that way? I got my answer when I realized all too late that I had been staring hard at hom, and that emotion probably wasn't frustration at all but annoyance. _Stupid! _What had I been thinking? That was one way to seal my reputation as being weird.

Someone grabbed my shoulder. I whipped around, startled but ready to do what I had to do. _Charlie_. I couldn't believe I nearly laid Charlie out right in the middle of this party.

"Don't do that!" I snapped without meaning too.

"I'm sorry, Bells. But I've been calling you for the past five minutes. You weren't listening…are you okay? You look like death." Didn't I always?

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. I'm sorry I didn't hear you. It's a little loud in here." But even as I said this I knew that it wouldn't fly. The room had gotten quiet. Crap_._

"You looked pretty zoned out. Are you sure you're okay?" He was so concerned. No one had ever been so worried about me. At least no one ever worried about such a little thing like this. It was kind of nice not to be told to toughen up.

"Yes." I didn't want Charlie to miss something like this. Who knew how many chances Charlie had to get out and meet up with everyone like this.

He looked me over for a minute, before he seemed satisfied that I was telling the truth. "Okay, well we have a table over there. Let's go sit down."

"Doctor Spinster isn't sitting with us, is he?"

There must have been something funny about my tone or expression, because he laughed. "Yes. But don't worry he doesn't bite." No. He may not bite but he sure as hell makes me uncomfortable.I let him lead me to the table. I made a point to sit on the other side of Charlie, as far away from Doctor Spinster as possible. I was not going to spend my night being analyzed. Not that he would ever come close to figuring me out. That would be a feat that only a fellow hunter could take on.

.::.

The meals were served and everyone was fed before we were forced to sit through the speeches. Feed the victims before they are tortured, typical. As the desserts were given out, the mayor took the podium on the haphazardly put together stage. There was no need to wonder why only one person stood up there at a time. No one would be filming a moneymaking video tonight. Finally, his speech was over. There was a round of polite applause from anyone who hadn't fallen asleep or zoned out. But as Doctor Cullen was called up, the room roared with applause whistles and cheers. As my eyes fell on Doctor Cullen himself my mouth dropped. I quickly snapped it shut hoping no one had noticed. He was as gorgeous as the bronze haired guy that had been staring at me.

Doctor. Cullen thanked everyone his topaz eyes, unlike that of the other guy, were beaming with warmth. I didn't hear what he said, but when he pointed out to his family I looked. To my shock the bronze haired boy was there at the table, with a few other unexplainably beautiful people. My eyes locked on the guy, whose back was turned to me.

"His name is, Edward Cullen…he's Doctor Cullen's son." Charlie informed me quietly.

I turned to him. His eyes were glowing with amusement. I could feel the embarrassment creeping in. "Oh." That was all I could say.

"Stop staring, it's rude." He admonished.

"I wasn't st—"

"I saw you just now, and I saw you earlier, too. Don't give me that."

In the month that I had known him, Charlie had never been this observant and I had started to become lax around him. Looks like I'd have to be more careful around him after all. "It won't happen again."

His responding expression told me that he didn't believe me. "Uh-huh."

Luckily for me, he dropped the subject entirely. But when I looked over briefly, Edward was staring at me again. He wasn't just staring now. This time around he appeared to be concentrating. It took him a moment to notice me staring, and he turned around at once. The burly one beside him looked over at me for a moment and then over at Edward again. He was confused too.

"Stop staring."

"Sorry!"

Charlie chuckled. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Learn to love my flaws?"

He rolled his eyes this time. "I'm just going to have to, aren't I?" He mused.

"Do you regret letting me come live with you?" I murmured suddenly worried that I had actually gone too far.

His expression softened as he shook his head. "Not at all."

I offered him a smile. The guilt was settling in like a lead weight at the pit of my stomach. It sucked that I had to lie to this kind man, who cared so much about me; when let's face it, no one else really had bothered. But I suppose this was better than the truth. Anything was better than the truth.

.::.

The speeches were over, and now everyone was mingling again. I stayed seated at the table with Charlie and his friends, while pretended to listen to their dull chitchat. It wasn't what I would call fun, but at least I was doing something a normal teenager would do. Or at least I thought I was, until Charlie turned to me again looking bemused.

"Why don't you go mingle with some ki—people your own age?" He had caught himself this time. He quickly learned that I hated being referred to as a kid. No one had ever referred to me as a child, even when I had been two. I didn't want to hear it from Charlie. I was a young adult now, a teenager or a grown individual…anything but a _kid_. Look, why don't you go talk to Mike, Jessica, Eric, Angela, Ben, and Lauren over there?"

I glanced over at the table he had pointed out. A bunch of laughing guys and girls, who looked to be my age, occupied the table. I was definitely not interested. "Dad, I just can't barge in on someone's group! People have their groups…" Another pair of eyes on me. I looked over but this time it wasn't Edward, it was Doctor Spinster on the other side of the table. Analyzing me, or whatever psychologists do. Yeah, keep staring, jerk and I'll give you something to analyze in a moment. I didn't like his scrutiny one bit. Didn't he know how creepy he was?

Charlie followed my gaze and did something I refused. He made brought it into the light. "Teenagers. I swear you have to prod them to get them do anything!" He said jokingly. Doctor Spinster laughed. It wasn't the kind of laugh you'd expect. There was no emotion in it. It was undoubtedly fake just like that eerie smile.

"Um…Dad, I'm not feeling well…can we go home?"

Charlie looked at me with that heartbreaking concern. I wasn't lying to him though. I really wasn't feeling well, and that whack job, psychologist wasn't making my life any easier.

Thankfully, Charlie was worried enough to agree to go home with me. He rose to his feet and said his goodbyes before he helped me into my parka. As we made our way out the door I tried to look straight ahead, but I couldn't help but look back at Edward. Still staring. Had he been staring at me this whole time? No. I wasn't that interesting. I looked away quickly, but the new expression on his face was as perplexing as the others. He looked concerned. Oh, Lord! I'm turning into Doctor Spinster. I'm over analyzing everything!Charlie chuckled and tutted. Embarrassed, that I had been caught staring yet again, I stalked toward the door.

Charlie stopped me just when I was about to push open the door that led to my badly needed freedom. "Just one moment, Bella." His voice was authoritative, but in a way he was still asking me to wait. "That was a fine speech you gave, Doctor Cullen." I turned around, I had completely missed that Doctor Cullen had been standing right behind me. Luckily I was able to resist the reflex to flinch. Years of practice earned me that privilege that most didn't have.

"Thank you, you're very kind." He responded humbly as he shook Charlie's outstretched hand.

"Jasper and Alice didn't make it out tonight?" Charlie inquired politely.

"Yes. I'm afraid Jasper is ill with a stomach virus. Alice decided to stay in and care for him."

Charlie sighed and rested his hand on my shoulder. "What a shame. I think it must be going around. Bella has been feeling a little under the weather today too."

Carlisle's eyes met mine. They contained the concern of a doctor. "Well if that is the case. I will be on call tomorrow if I'm needed."

"Thank you, Doctor Cullen." Charlie nudged me lightly.

"I appreciate that, Doctor Cullen." I said at once.

Doctor Cullen smiled and nodded. "Well I hope you get well very soon, Bella."

"Thank you."

Charlie gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Well, we'd better get going. I really don't want to be cleaning the cruiser tonight." He laughed. "Tell your son that we wish him a quick recovery."

"Thank you for your concern. I will tell him just that." Doctor Carlisle replied graciously. "Have a good night."

We were trapped in a few more conversations before we were finally able to leave. Apparently, Charlie was fairly popular. But I guess that was something that came with being the Chief of Police in a small town like Forks. There had been a plus to this, however, I was able to meet a few more people—that weren't the least bit disturbing. I met the Stanley's and their daughter, who my age, and I also met the Webers, Newtons, and the Yorkie's and their children. At least I would know someone on my first day, and because I hadn't been as awkward as I was afraid I'd be, I would be seen as the social awkward square at school. But Jessica Stanley had irritated me a bit. She, along with the others, had noticed Edward staring at me. All she talked about was him. She was obviously obsessed with the boy. All I hoped was that he couldn't hear us, but I didn't dare look back again.

As we walked to the car we were both silent. It wasn't uncomfortable; neither of us felt like making conversation and that was okay with me. That was one of the things I already knew that I loved about Charlie. He never tried to force me into conversation. He spoke when he felt it was necessary, but other than that he let me come to him. And, other than his attempt to get me to see a psychologist, he was letting me heal on my own terms.

But I realized, as we got into the car, that there was something on his mind again. It was going to bother me until I knew exactly what it was, too. That's how I was. If I had done something wrong tonight, I wanted to amend it. "Spit it out, Dad. What did I do?"

Startled, Charlie looked over at me for a moment as if he were attempting to decipher what I meant. When he seemed to understand, he chuckled lightly. "Nothing, Bells."

That wasn't good enough. "Dad, I'm no fool."

"I know you're not, but really it's nothing." He was uncomfortable now. Now I definitely needed to discover the cause.

"Dad, _please_!"

He didn't answer me until we were on the road. "Fine, it's just…the Cullen boy, Edward. He seems to have taken a keen interest in you…and I don't think it's a good idea for you to be dating anyone right now." He mumbled awkwardly.

I groaned. "Dad, really? We aren't getting into this." Typical normal father, worrying about their daughters and dating boys. I would never admit it, but I kind of liked it.

"Bella, I'm asking you just to consider what I'm saying..." Charlie insisted.

"Fine. I won't date." I wasn't planning to anyway. Someone like me shouldn't be dating anyone. It was too risky. Even though I had come to Forks to start a normal life, there was always that risk that _they_ would find me and then I would have leave before anyone got hurt.

"But, Dad…what's it to you anyway?" I asked curiously, only because of the look on his face as he admitted all of this.

He chuckled again, another awkward sound. "No reason."

Liar_. _His two-word answer weren't cutting it with me. "Don't do this back and forth thing with me." I warned. "You can tell me anything. I'm your daughter."

"And I'm your father. But _you_ haven't exactly taken advantage of that fact either, now have you?" He replied with a shocking amount of bitterness and at that moment I knew exactly how much my selective silence was hurting him.

"Touché." I said quietly, letting the conversation drop.

Something in my voice must have made him change his mind about telling me. "I guess I'm jealous." He laughed awkwardly. "I only just got you back after seventeen years of never even seeing you." My heart sank. "I don't want anyone stealing you away from me so soon. I want to get to know my daughter, first."

There was no wiping the smile off of my face now. "That's really sweet. But I promise you, I won't be dating anytime soon…and if I do, you'll be the first to know…"

"That's all I ask."

"And if it makes you feel better, I'll take five minutes out of my _oh so busy schedule _to spend some time with you every week." I made sure that statement was heavy with sarcasm.

He understood that I was teasing and laughed, "Thanks, I guess."

From that moment on I vowed to be more open with Charlie. I would never tell him about what I knew, and the world that he didn't know. Or what I had been doing for the duration of the time that I had been forcefully cut from his life. But we would talk. I'd tell him as much of the truth as I could. I wouldn't lie, because I hated lying. I only lied if it was absolutely necessary. I wondered for a moment what I would do if he ever asked me questions that would require me to tell the truth. I would have to figure out a way to dance around the question without flat out lying or I'd have to do the unthinkable and lie.

"Let's get inside so you can get some rest."

"What?" I looked away from Charlie and was startled to find that we were now sitting in the driveway. "Yeah…okay…" Yeah right. I haven't had a night of restful sleep since I was twelve._ "_That sounds great." Technically I wasn't lying. Rest did sound wonderful. It was too bad that I wouldn't achieve it.

.::.

The digital clock that sat on my nightstand, read ten when I finally forced myself to put down the book I was reading and try to sleep. The goal was to avoid those merciless thoughts of _that_ night. But, even as I shut off the lamp, and rested my head upon the fluffy down pillow, those memories came flooding in. No sooner had I closed my eyes I found that the darkness had lifted visually, but not physically. I was in that living room, again, lying on my stomach. A shotgun, most likely Phil's, was a few feet from where I was crumpled on the floor. My handgun was still firmly locked in my grip, but it was empty. My head was heavy, but somehow I was able to lift it. I found the missing bullets in the walls of the room, that I now recognized as the living room of our rented home. The pale blue walls were splattered with blood, matching perfectly with the crimson spattered white carpet. There was so much, but why? What happened? I rose to my feet quickly the panic now held me tightly in its iron clutches. "Mom?…Phil?" Where were they? I got my answer when I looked over at the coat hooks against the back wall. They weren't hanging off of them by their clothing…they were impaled on them. But that wasn't enough. Of course not. So the perpetrator had proceeded to rip Phil's heart from his chest and plant it by his feet. Still worse was my mother. She had been gutted, so horrifically that her intestines hung down to her feet. The room had been deathly silent until someone began to whimper. Who the hell was crying?

The macabre scene began to dissipate and before I could find my answers, I was suddenly plunged into that unwelcome dark abyss. That too dissolved in a few moments and I was suddenly back in a place that I had began to call my safe haven. The room that I called my own, in Charlie's home. Charlie wasn't here this time. It meant that I hadn't screamed. This was the first time I had dreamt of the events that took place that night. Something wet meandered down my cheeks. I raised my fingers to my left cheek and, very gently, grazed it as I switched on the lamp, beside my bed, with my freehand. I examined the fluid beneath the glow of the lamplight and was surprised to find that they were tears. My first tears since we burned Mom and Phil on pyres in the woods behind the rented house that had become my hell. The girl in my dream who had been whimpering was me.

Till now the nightmares had only consisted of eerie blackness. The kind of feeling one felt when something bad was going to happen. Occasionally I would see Mom's face but that was it. Now I was dreaming of the later half of the night. But I almost wished that it had come with answers. But the night terror had only been a recap of what I could remember. Everything before that was lost to me. But I knew for sure then what I know now. I was there. I had fought whatever had entered the house and had lost. Whatever killed Phil and Mom had no interest in me. But why couldn't I remember? Henry, an old family friend, had been sure I was suffering from traumatic amnesia and that we would soon find out. Part of me wished that I wouldn't, another part of me wanted to know, and the other part already knew what it was. But I couldn't make sense as to how it got in. This was something Phil had hunted for his entire lifetime. This was one of the predominant things that Mom and I had been trained to hunt down and destroy…well not destroy—that was impossible—but instead send it back where it belonged so it couldn't harm another human being. I couldn't understand it. We had set up all the necessary protections. It shouldn't have been able to get in. How could a demon have gotten into the house? That nagging part of me that knew it had been a demon also insisted that it had some help. But who? Or what?

An eerie yet familiar chill slithered down my spine. Someone was in the room with me. I could feel the presence. I got out of bed at once, and reached for the silver tipped knife I kept beneath my pillow. I unsheathed it from it's protective leather pouch, and rushed for the closet. Whatever it was, was hiding there. I open it at once my hands steady and I was unusual calm. I was too good of a hunter. That wasn't a good thing.

There was nothing inside the closet. The hairs on the back of neck stood on end, and the chills traveled down my spine again. I turned around to find that the window was open. I bit back a laugh. I had forgotten to secure the window. That was all. My hand grazed the rocking chair briefly. It was cold to the touch. It felt odd and out of place. Just the chill, and I needed to chill. Nothing was coming for me. Henry and the others didn't even know I was back in Forks there was no way that anything that I had hunted in the past would find me here.

I chuckled to myself and walked back to bed. I slipped the knife into it's leather pouch and back beneath the pillow before I headed for my open window. I stuck my head out, and stared up at the sky. I could still see the stars and the moon but the clouds were quickly returning. The air was crisp but chilly, and everything was quiet. Everything was as it should be. When I retreated back inside, I laughed again at my silliness before closing and locking the window. As I moved back to crawl underneath the warm blankets of my bed, I glanced over at the journal on my desk before I glanced over at the digital clock on my nightstand. _3:00 AM. _

It was cold and I wanted to go back to the security of my bed, but I felt the need to write and at the moment it's what I needed to be doing. I pulled back the creaky, old oak chair and sat down. I flipped open to the page following my last entry and picked up my blue ballpoint pen:

_September 2nd, 2009_

_Mom,_

_I start my Junior year of High school on the tenth and I still can't get a full night's sleep. Maybe I should convince Charlie to let me continue to be home schooled. Nah. That wouldn't work out at all. I'll just have to push through this and toughen up like Phil would say. Phil was an asshole. I know you hated it when I say these things but it's true. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I dreamt about what happened to you six months ago. I didn't get any answers but I can feel them coming. This traumatic amnesia must be lifting. Don't worry, Mom, justice is coming and then I'm done with this life forever. _

_Love,_

_Bella_

_

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**I really hoped you guys liked this idea. I really want to read what you guys think so please review. I really look forward to reading about you guys thought about this and whether or not I should keep going with this. Thank you so much for reading! Oh and if any of you are interested in becoming a beta reader let me know because I could really use a couple. I've read over this story a few times but I know there's probably somethings that I missed. So if you'd like to beta I'd appreciate it. One more thing, I want to hear from all you fellow Supernatural fans and if you've never seen the show I reccomend that you rent the first season on DVD. I'm pretty sure you'll like it, and if you don't that's okay we all have our different tastes. Thanks again everyone!**  
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	2. A Real High School of Horror

**Disclaimer: **The plot of this piece is inspired by the Eric Kripke's ingenius Television show, _Supernatural _as well as Stephenie Meyer's enthralling Twilight books_._This story contains characters from the Twilight series. They belong to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer. I have only tweaked some of them a bit.

**Rating: **M

**This is an AU fic. Bella, Charlie and possibly Jacob are a bit out of character. Everyone else is pretty much the same...hopefully. There are are a few original characters as well. **

**Summary/a bit of background: **What if everything you thought you knew about the world was a lie? What if your parents were wrong when they told you that monsters didn't exist? Isabella Swan never had that luxury. Her life has been scarred by this knowledge ever since she was two, when her mother ran off with a attractive young, Phil Dwyer, a hunter of everything Supernatural. From the beginning Bella's life was wrought with darkness, vengeful spirits, ghouls, evil Witches, demons, Wendigos, and most other supernatural beings that are talked about in ancient Folklore. Life was always bad, even if Bella's mother wouldn't admit it. They were constantly on the road, and their homes were often run down, roach and rat infested motels. It was very rare that Phil would opt to rent out a house, but that was only for cases that Phil decided would be long and drawn out. Bella was never allowed to keep much of a social life, all she had were fellow hunters. Although exceptionally bright, Bella was also kept from school. Instead she had to settle for homeschooling, which Bell didn't mind. What she did mind was the lifestyle. She never had a childhood for her training had begun at the age of seven when Phil began to teach her to use various weapons as well as to fight. By the age of ten she was out hunting with the rest, all the while her life began grumbling around her. This was how life was for her until that faithful night when her world came crashing down and she lost everything. That night marked what she hoped would be the end of her life as hunter and the begining of a normal life, even if she no longer had her mother to help her through. She would have to settle for Charlie and the comfort of the small town that her mother mistakingly fled years before. But she soon learns that you can never escape who you are and that even if you run your demons will follow you whereever you go. Figuratively and literally.

_**Thank you to those who reviewed. I really appreciate it. I forgot to mention in my first chapter that this story was inspired by several plots that JustKristen and I had put together. I think her greatly for her support. Here's the next chapter: **_

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_September 10th, 2009_

_Mom,_

_Life has gotten better…for the most part at least. Yesterday I went to an end of the Summer barbeque at the Stanley home. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley are pretty quiet and gracious unlike their daughter, Jessica, who is a nosy nuisance. I've got a feeling she's going to become a pain in my rear end. All she wants to do is talk and talk about the Cullens…Edward Cullen especially. Apparently this is the first time he's paid any attention to anyone, let alone a girl. I couldn't really help but notice the bitterness in her tone…jealousy maybe? I don't know why. I'm not even faintly interested in dating anyone. I'm just interested in why he's paying so much damn attention to me. I'm really just a common face in the crowd. But Edward isn't the only problem. No, I have to worry about three more: Eric, Mike, and Tyler…but especially Mike. He wouldn't leave me alone yesterday. He kept asking if I wanted something to drink or eat, as if he were the host! What's even worse is, it seemed to get on Jessica's nerves. And as time went on she got increasingly catty with me. What the hell is the big deal? I'll have to take them on one at a time and set things straight. Yay me, I get to shut down a bunch of hormonal boys (sarcasm doesn't transfer well in writing does it, Mom). Something good did happen to me at the barbeque though, Angela Weber saved me from Jessica's stupid prattle. She's a real genuinely innocent soul, the kind you only come across once in a blue moon. The best part is, she doesn't gossip. I can tell that she and I are going to be great friends. She restored some of the faith that I had lost in this town's youth. I thought that they were all a bunch of gossip loving, jealous, dip shits. Hey, I'm all for being proved wrong._

_Now onto the bad news (if the above actually counts as good news that is). My dreams have regressed to utter darkness again. All I can hear is your voice, and that's only right before all this crap started…it's the last part that I can remember, where you're panicking and we're getting ready to fight whatever entered in the house. That was the first time you told me about Charlie and urged me to go to Forks, if I survived. You knew that you and Phil were going to die didn't you? Why didn't you let me in on it? I wanted to die, too. But since I'm alive, and I don't believe in suicide I'll live a normal life like you asked me to…after I find out what killed you, and kill it. _

_Well, I've got to stop this eventually. I need to finish getting ready, and get some breakfast down. It's my first day of school. Who would have ever thought that I would ever be a part of mainstream America, let alone a school system. It's kind of cool actually…but I don't get the titles they give you in high school. Freshman, sophomore, Junior, Senior…What? The only titles that make a lick of sense are senior and freshmen…everything else is a bit weird. But then again, it could just be me. Yep, I'm the weird one by far. What am I going to say when they ask what I did over the summer? Oh…I spent my summer chasing down vengeful spirits, and demons…oh but I did get a break from the usual routine and I actually hunted and killed a ghoul on my own (Phil would have been proud of me for once). But they probably won't ask that. The plus and minus of a small town is that word travels fast. Everyone in town thinks that you and Phil burned to death in a house fire. They should consider themselves lucky to be so lucky. They don't have to know the truth about this crappy ass world we live in. _

_I'm off to school now. Oh God, high school. What I do today will definitely make or break me. Good luck to me. I miss you now, more than ever, Mom!_

_Love, _

_Bella._

I glanced over briefly at the digital clock: _6:45. _Good, I had at least an hour before I had to be on my way to school. I glanced out the window to find that the weather was gloomy as usual. To most having rainy weather, even in the summer months was a depressing way of life. Not me. Rain was a friend, but not always an ally. In happier times—before my mother's death—rain was the only way I could fall asleep. The sound of it beating down on the roof of a car or outside on the pavement, used to be a soothing lullaby for me. The only time it was of no help had been when we were on the hunt for something. The rain was a formidable and dangerous enemy then. It blocked our visibility and gave the monster or spirit the advantage.

I pulled on my final article of clothing, a mauve sweater, before I headed to the bathroom to deal with the rest of my morning routine. Something strange happened as reached for the doorknob of the bathroom. My heartbeat picked up and a heavy feeling of dread closed in on me. I suddenly felt claustrophobic, and as if I was slowly suffocating. My knees trembled and I had to clutch the exterior doorframe for a moment to hold myself up. This feeling was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I could feel the weight building rapidly and I was about ready to try and make a run downstairs to Charlie, when, just as quickly as it had happened, the feeling was suddenly gone.

I gasped for breath as I fell to my knees. The sickening thoughts began to rush through my head as I tried to discern what had happened to me. My final conclusion was nerves. It was my first day of school and that's all it was. I chuckled a little, letting the anxiety free. All this over a first day of school? How ridiculous. I've gone up against psycho spirit children that were scarier than a first day of high school. I could handle this.

I got to my feet quickly and hesitantly touched the doorknob. Nothing. I laughed quietly again before I pushed myself inside the bathroom. I found the light switch in the darkness of the windowless bathroom. But I regretted instantly.

In the newly lit room I looked into the mirror and very nearly jumped. Standing beside me was a pale-faced man, with bottomless black eyes, and the most diabolical smirk I had ever seen. A demon. Knowing that I was unarmed, I turned around to fight. But it was gone. There had never been a demon. I was seeing things that my imagination was so cruelly conjuring up. However, this time I didn't laugh.

I went through my bathroom routine rapidly and thankfully without any further issues. By the time I reached the bottom of the steps, I had managed to convince myself that all I needed was some better sleep. Maybe I would take up Charlie's suggestion from yesterday, and make an appointment with Doctor Cullen to talk about my sleeping problems. Hopefully he would get me some sleeping pills. It wasn't a route that I wanted to take, but Forks was quiet, and there was no need for me to be alert.

The phone rang as I was getting my breakfast together. Charlie emerged from the hallway and picked it up before I could move across the kitchen to get it. I went to the table and poured myself a bowl of cereal, ignoring Charlie's conversation until his voice took on a tone that got my attention.

"What?" Confusion.

"You're going to have speak clearer, Doreen."

He looked at me; his eyes were filled with disbelief. All too quickly, Charlie's skin became ashen and he looked ready to collapse.

"I-I'll be there in a few minutes." Fear.

It took him a few tries, but he finally returned the phone to the receiver. He was visibly shaken.

"What's wrong, Dad?" I demanded at once.

He stared at me for a long time, contemplating, before he responded; "Mrs. Sarah Lowell has been found strangled to death in her home. Her husband is nowhere to be found." His tone suggested that he didn't believe it.

I gasped and dropped my spoon as the full burden of the hallucination that I had in the bathroom hit home. Every detail became available and I didn't want it. The demon of my hallucination had looked an awful lot like Mrs. Lowell's new husband Jerry, an amiable man incapable of killing a fly.

"Bella?…Bella!" Charlie shook me to my senses again.

"Are you alright?" He asked when he realized I had come back to him.

"Yes. I'm sorry…it's just so…unbelievable that a murder could happen in this town."

I answered with the appropriate amount of worry, which was genuine. I possibly now had a demon on my hands. That feeling of dread must have been the demon's attempt to take me as its vessel. I clasped my hand over the area on my shoulder that contained the tattoo that prevented any demonic possession. It had really worked, but that was the least of my worries now. If that had been a real demon in the bathroom with me, and not a hallucination, that demon was probably now alerting other demons that I had run off to Forks, Washington. For a moment I thought about running, but I knew that if the demons suddenly developed an affinity for Forks, Mrs. Lowell wouldn't be the only victim. My thoughts were on Charlie. They would certainly know he was my father and he would be the next one to go. I was sure of this. But aside from possible further killings, there was another reason I should stay; if more demons came, at least one of them would have answers for me. Even if I couldn't remember one of them would. My new plans were set, and I was ready to take them on.

"Bella, finish your breakfast and get to school." Charlie ordered as he slipped on his jacket. "And not a word to any of your classmates about this, the last thing that we need is to cause mass panic in town."

He didn't say it but I knew what he was thinking. There was a murderer on the loose, but he thought it was Jerry Lowell, when I knew that it was in fact the most cruelest creatures unknown to modern day man.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now get going."

He was out the door before I could answer. I was suddenly no longer hungry so I dumped the rest of my cereal and grabbed my jacket from the hall closet. "Damn, you." I hissed knowing that if a demon around it would hear me. They soaked up extreme emotions like; anger, fear, and sadness, like a sponge. "I'll get you." I vowed into the air.

I hurried out the door when Charlie had gone and for a moment I paused, unsure of how I would get to school, when I suddenly remembered that Charlie had gotten me a truck. It was an old Chevy truck, I think Charlie said its year was 1953…but I loved it. It would probably be of no use to me if I planned on taking up the hunt, but I could try and make it work. It's not like I could take Charlie's cruiser. But before any of that, I needed to get up the necessary weapons. The thought of calling my old friend, Jacob crossed my mind. He was the only one of the hunters we were close with, that was around my age. We had grown up together, and we were trained together. We were pretty much siblings, which was precisely why I didn't want to call him. When I left the others, I left him too. I didn't leave a note or any sign that would point to where I was going. He was sure to hate me by now.

Screw it. There was no use thinking about this now. I had to get through my first day of school first and build up my persona as a normal teenage girl. If I was going to work in this town, I had to do so under little suspicion. I ran through the rain to my truck. It felt like hours before I was able to unlock it, but finally after a few curses and calming breaths my hand steadied just enough to allow it to happen. Before long I was off to Forks High to begin my long and arduous first day of school with the knowledge that I no longer had the opportunity to be normal. I never had.

.::.

Forks High School wasn't too difficult to find. I had the map and Charlie's well-explained directions to help me out. Upon arrival I was surprised to find that the school wasn't as big as I thought. I had looked up many high schools in an attempt to prepare myself for today, but this one was smaller than the ones I had seen. Maybe next time I'd try to narrow my search to small town high schools.

The layout of this place made no sense to me. You had to walk outside to get to your classroom. This town seemed to be drowned in perpetual rain, so wouldn't it have made more sense to build a school where all the classrooms were located in one building? It must have been cheaper this way.

I was on my way to my first class of the day—trigonometry—and my eyes were on the map, when I suddenly bumped into someone. Whoever it was reached out to grab my arms in time to prevent my fall. I looked up at once, into the woman's face. Oh no. It was only my first day and I'd already made a bad impression with one of my would-be teachers.

"I'm sorry." I apologized quickly.

"No. Worries…_Isabella." _

My heart froze, as the entirety of the woman's eyes suddenly turned blood red, revealing the identity of a demon I knew well.

"Aphra." I said simply.

"I have many names, but yes." She replied in that dangerously pleasant tone of hers.

Aphra was a ruthless demon. We had sent her back to hell many times, only to have her come back. Her favorite pastime had a Hansel and Gretel like quality to it. She enjoyed tempting children, luring them ever closer to her until she was able to…consume them.

I shuddered. She was the only demon who could really cause me to do that.

She spoke again, her voice taking on an amiable quality, but I saw right through it. "Don't worry, sweetie I won't kill you." Her expression became dark, and slightly frustrated, it matched her new tone. "I've been given orders not to."

"By who?" My voice was heavy with demand, as I took a deliberate step towards her. Demons had to follow orders, so I was safe.

The grin on her face told me I wouldn't get any answers. "You know, or at least you should know. But in any case, you're going to have an interesting day today. Who would have thought that there would ever be a day when we would teach humans, huh?"

I could feel all the warmth leaving my face as the realization set in. "Every teacher?"

"Yep. Fun right? Enjoy. Remember, as long as you cooperate, not a single soul in this school is going to get hurt. That means you can't leave campus, and you can't try anything stupid." Her lips split in a threatening grin. You'll love your last teacher, for sure."

Before I could I could get anymore words out, she was gone.

There was really nothing I could do. There was no doubt that Aphra would honor her words if I did leave and I didn't want anymore blood on my hands. I had enough to rival those true murderers.

I turned tail and ran to my first class. My heart was racing no matter how hard I worked to control it. It didn't take long for me to figure out the first demon. As it handed me a copy of the syllabus, it smiled and flashed me its black eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief. All demons were powerful, but the black eyed ones weren't as powerful. If I were diligent enough, I could easily expel all the black eyed ones from Forks. Even if I had to do it one at a time.

But if there were others, this town was basically screwed beyond belief. Sure I could deal with Aphra, I had in the past. But Aphra had not come here alone. She was already a powerful demon, but she was under another's command. It was some demon that I already knew, and it was so obviously more power than Aphra.

The entire day continued on this way. All my teachers had been taken over by ebony eyed demons and the student body was happily unaware of this fact. If one of the demons decided they wanted up the _fun _factor, there was no way I could protect this school. I was not well equipped for this job.

Finally it was lunchtime. There was no appetite in me now. The thought of eating, now, made my stomach curl in disgust. I went directly to where Jessica and the others were seated, but I was aware of the stares. I didn't want to look up and meet any demonic eyes that were surly on me now. But the stares were becoming more and more intense. I'd be driven to look eventually.

Jessica's face held a bit of annoyance as she leaned over towards me and whispered; "Edward and Alice Cullen are staring at you."

Oh no, had the demons started possessing students? I almost asked Jessica what their eyes looked like, but I bit back that question at once. That would be too weird.

I looked over my shoulder to find two pairs those strange amber eyes staring at me. The short one with spiky dark hair was obviously Alice. She had been one of the ones who had been absent from the party, that had been thrown in honor of Doctor Cullen.

Their expressions perplexed me more than I had been on that night. They both seemed anxious, but Edward's expression and body language was far worse. He was clearly frazzled. Even from where I sat I could see how tense he was. Our eyes were locked, and I could see that there was desperation in those dark, honey lagoons.

Alice noticed that I had caught them staring, and smiled weakly at me before turning around, but Edward didn't seem to have noticed. He continued to stare. I stared back, hypnotized by his unnatural beauty. What was I supposed to be doing? Before I could remember, Edward's eyes hardened and he was suddenly angry. For a moment I thought he glanced over at someone at the table, but he had turned around before I could be sure. I could see that his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

What the hell was he angry about? He was the one who was staring.

"I don't get the attraction," someone whispered, obviously unaware that I was paying attention now. I turned around, and out of the corner of my eye I could see that it was Lauren Mallory talking to Tyler, "…she looks dead, and just look at that ugly scar that runs down her cheek, and she never really smiles. I bet she cuts herself."

I touched my long jagged scar. It was something that I had gotten when I was twelve. It never really bothered me, because it was simply evidence of a battle I had won against the very same demon that cornered me this morning. It had been the first time I had taken on Aphra alone and I had won it strongly. But now that Lauren suggested that it could be seen as an ugly, it started to eat away at me.

No. No. No. I wasn't going to let this no nothing twit get to me. I got up from where I sat and walked over to her. "Since we're making assumptions about people, I'd like to take a turn." I hissed.

I looked her over quickly. She was impossibly skinny, and she had what appeared to be a permanent leer, at least she was always leering when I saw her. Her cheeks were sunken and her skin was overly tan. She looked orange. Her hair appeared to be dead, either from too much time in the salon, or from the other thing I suspected.

"The lack food on your plate, your dead hair, and your skin and bones body type; tell me that you are in desperate need of some special attention. I'll give you the number to a psychiatrist that I know." I said snippily. "The over use of make-up also suggests that you are angling for clown college when you graduate. Don't worry about it; you'll get in for sure. But I don't think they'll be interested in your carrot impersonation. Now, looking at the rest of you, I'd just say you were a plain old, textbook, _bitch_." I narrowed my eyes and lowered myself to meet her astonished ones. If the clown wannabe thought that she could break me down, like I know she had done to many others, she was wrong.

"Attempt to spread lies about me or anyone else again, and I'll give you a scar to match mine." I threatened before I straightened out and headed back to my seat. When I got there Angela was beaming and Jessica was laughing uncontrollably. Obviously Lauren had played this game with them as well.

I watched as Lauren got up slowly. She was shaking, obviously trying to hold back tears. I felt bad for a moment before I remembered that girls like her thrived on making others feel inferior. Most of the guilt vanished, but I still felt pity. Girls like her that felt the need to bring down others, obviously had no self-esteem and would probably do little with their lives.

Not sure why, but I looked over my shoulder and was surprised to see Edward bent over his table shaking with what seemed to be laughter. The others were quiet and still, just staring at Edward.

.::.

The events at lunch almost caused me to forget what I have had to put up with today. The next hijacked body turned out to be the one that Aphra was currently occupying. French had always been one of my favorite languages (second only to Latin) and I couldn't even enjoy it. Every chance she got, she would remind me of what she was. Towards the end of class I felt a sharp pain go through me. It was as if she were tearing apart my insides. I bit back the scream that wanted to explode from my throat. I wouldn't give her the pleasure. The pain only lasted a minute or two before it began to abate, and then stop all together. My body relaxed at once, and as she passed me again, she chuckled. The bitch would pay dearly, just let me get my hands on some salt, holy water, and an exorcism.

But there was something I could do now; "Cristo." I muttered as she passed again. She flinched in obvious pain, before she sent out another agonizing wave through me. I bore it quietly. I was better than her. At least I could handle my pain.

She attacked me this way again, five times before class was over. I was the first one out of that room and the last to arrive to my last class. AP Biology was the class that I had been looking forward to the most, but in just a few hours, it had become the class I had wanted to attend the least. Aphra had warned that this demon would be one that I knew well. I knew a lot of demons, weak and strong, but the way she had said it told me this one was dangerous.

This was a class I couldn't avoid, because there was a high risk that the demon would massacre every student in the classroom. I slipped into the room. The teacher, who was currently a demon's meat suit, hadn't yet arrived to class. I looked around for a seat. Lauren glared at me from where she sat. If there had been a free seat by her, I would have sat right there, just to piss her off. I needed some enjoyment if this class was to turn out to be hell.

When I did find the only available seat, I swallowed hard. That seat, was beside Edward Cullen.

From the beginning I knew that I would be going to school with Edward, and I was surprised that I hadn't had any classes with him. But now, not only did I have a class with him, but I had to sit beside him as well. I had already made a complete fool of myself so many times around him.

I stopped myself there. Why did I care? He was just a boy like all the others, and image didn't matter, so long as I didn't appear suspicious.

I took my seat and dropped my books onto the lab table. I was sick and tired. I just wanted this day to end, so that I could deal with my problems.

"Hello, Bella." Edward was tense.

"Hi, Edward." I said quietly and quickly before my eyes went to the door.

He didn't say anymore, which was good because the door opened, and in stepped our AP Biology teacher. As human, he was Mr. Varner, but the identity of the demon that was wearing him now was yet to be discovered. He went through the paces with the usual first day introductions before he began to pass out the syllabus. I was about to discover who the demon was. I swallowed hard as he approached our table. Mr. Varner's hijacker gave Edward his syllabus first, despite the fact that I was closer to him than Edward was.

He leaned down to give me mine. Our eyes met, his were still the human blue. "How are you enjoying Forks so far…Bella." He said with a detectable hint of malice. My gaze remained trained on his eyes, waiting with dread filled anticipation. The shade that his eyes turned almost knocked me off my chair. Pearl white. Alistair. No! Any demon but him. I couldn't defeat him. He was one of the demons that were higher up in the chain of command. A whole army of hunters could face off against him, and the carnage would still be great. No hunter would be left standing. There was only one demon there only two other demons who were even more wicked than he was. They made him look like a puppy. But I didn't want to think of them now. I'd dealt them with, and prayed that I never would.

My biggest concern now, was why he was here. He didn't to Forks because of me. That would have been Aphra's job. He might have been here, before he knew I was here. Now I was just something fun to toy with.

I needed to do something now. Alistair made Aphra look like a complete angel. "Edw—" I stopped short when my eyes fell on the arcane boy beside me. His body was hunched, in what appeared to be a near crouch. He was so tense, that every muscle in his arms were flexed and each tendon in his hands were raised. His irises were no longer that vibrant gold, but they appeared onyx in color. I had to really look at him to find that he wasn't possessed. His whole eye would have that horrible black shade, not just his irises. He was staring at Alistair. No. He looked as if he were about to rip Alistair to shreds.

Something came over him, and he turned to me. I was too, floored to speak.

"Did you say something, Bella?" He tried to keep his tone calm, but there was nothing he could do to eliminate that tension, or hostility.

I snapped out of it. I needed to focus. "Do you have a phone?"

He stared at me puzzled. "Yes."

"Can you access the internet on it?"

"Yes."

"Can I borrow it? I promise that I'll pay you back for any charge." I said hurriedly. The second Alistair realized what I was doing he was going to put an end to it.

Edward thrust the phone into my hands wordlessly. For a moment my skin brushed his. He was cold. Ice cold. Edward recoiled from my touch, and mumbled something low that I couldn't hear.

I forgot about it quickly and got on the Internet. I hurriedly found what I was looking for. It was a special site that a bunch of hunters had set up. Jacob and I had been apart of this project. It was heavily protected by passwords, and it was a bitch to get into, but it was worth it. When I finally got in, I went directly to the section that contained the exorcisms. I grabbed a pen and scribbled down everything word for word. Just as I finished, Edward's phone went dead. I grabbed the paper that I had written on and stuffed it into my pocket, before giving Edward back his phone.

"If it doesn't work after this, I'll find away to buy a new one."

There was no response from Edward because Alistair was suddenly right there. For the briefest of moments I thought I heard Edward snarl.

"That's it for class today, you can all leave…except for you, Isabella Swan." He announced. His eyes were on me. They were the normal, human blue, but I fought the urge to shiver anyway. "Don't think I didn't see you playing with that phone. I'm gonna have to ask you to stay after class as your punishment."

"But Mr. Varner," Mike was speaking now, "we aren't allowed to leave campus till three."

"Oh I can assure you that no one will stop you." The way he spoke caused my stomach to tie up in knots, again. Damn them for making feel this way, for the first time since I was ten.

Mike was satisfied with the answer, and he and the rest of the class filed out. All accept for Edward, at least. Edward didn't budge an inch; he didn't even move to put his books away.

"Mr. Cullen, I believe I said you could go." Alistair was annoyed.

Edward responded with a tone that could make anybody's skin crawl in fear, "But it was my phone that Bella was using. I should be forced to suffer punishment as well."

"Oh, you'll suffer." I heard Alistair mumble.

The lock on the door, and the locks on the window simultaneously clicked. At that same moment, I was airborne. I crashed right into the display cabinets that were against the back wall, before I fell to the ground. Something warm trickled down the back of my neck. The fear was settling in. The darkness was swallowing me up. I wouldn't have time to recite the exorcism. I wouldn't even have time to warn Edward that I had one that might be powerful enough to at least disable Alistair for a few hours.

As I was fading away, my eyes found Edward. He was staring at me, frozen in terror. He knew the death was upon him. He shouldn't have stayed. I would be the reason for his death.

In my haze, I noticed something else flash in his eyes. It appeared to be hunger, need. He took two steps towards me before his expression again morphed, but this time into anger. Alistair was upon him. He seemed to be focusing hard. Confusion flashed on Alistair's face. Edward laughed.

"What are you?" I thought I heard, Alistair say in what seemed to be terror.

But there was no way I could confirm this. I was plunged into darkness before I could.

* * *

_**Thank you guys for reading this. I'd really appreciate it, if you would keep reviewing. And for those of you who are lurking, please review. I'd love you for it. My cookies don't turn out well, but I make a mean ****fettucini alfredo--if that's any incentive for you to review. :-p Anyway enough of my poor attempts to bribe a review out of you! Thanks a bunch and I hope to have the next chapt up by tonight.  
**_


	3. The Truth is Out

**Disclaimer: **The plot of this piece is inspired by the Eric Kripke's ingenius Television show, _Supernatural _as well as Stephenie Meyer's enthralling Twilight books_._This story contains characters from the Twilight series. They belong to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer. I have only tweaked some of them a bit.

**Rating: **M

**This is an AU fic. Bella, Charlie and possibly Jacob are a bit out of character. Everyone else is pretty much the same...hopefully. There are are a few original characters as well. **

**Summary/a bit of background: **What if everything you thought you knew about the world was a lie? What if your parents were wrong when they told you that monsters didn't exist? Isabella Swan never had that luxury. Her life has been scarred by this knowledge ever since she was two, when her mother ran off with a attractive young, Phil Dwyer, a hunter of everything Supernatural. From the beginning Bella's life was wrought with darkness, vengeful spirits, ghouls, evil Witches, demons, Wendigos, and most other supernatural beings that are talked about in ancient Folklore. Life was always bad, even if Bella's mother wouldn't admit it. They were constantly on the road, and their homes were often run down, roach and rat infested motels. It was very rare that Phil would opt to rent out a house, but that was only for cases that Phil decided would be long and drawn out. Bella was never allowed to keep much of a social life, all she had were fellow hunters. Although exceptionally bright, Bella was also kept from school. Instead she had to settle for homeschooling, which Bell didn't mind. What she did mind was the lifestyle. She never had a childhood for her training had begun at the age of seven when Phil began to teach her to use various weapons as well as to fight. By the age of ten she was out hunting with the rest, all the while her life began grumbling around her. This was how life was for her until that faithful night when her world came crashing down and she lost everything. That night marked what she hoped would be the end of her life as hunter and the begining of a normal life, even if she no longer had her mother to help her through. She would have to settle for Charlie and the comfort of the small town that her mother mistakingly fled years before. But she soon learns that you can never escape who you are and that even if you run your demons will follow you wherever you go. Figuratively and literally.

The bulky weight of thick darkness still surrounded me. Somewhere off in the distance I heard a loud and erratic beeping noise. It was annoying. It reminded me of a hospital TV show. They seemed to have a lot of those lately. I couldn't believe I was dreaming of one now. I could hear my heartbeat now, too. It had its own strange rhythm; it kind of matched the monitor. I found this extremely amusing for some reason.

**Thank you guys for your patience and lots of thank you's for your reviews. _Julesbinoche, _I know Bella is a bit OOC. That was intentional. I just wanted her to be a bit different. What I've tried to do is give her a mix of herself as she in the books, a little bit of Dean, and some Sam. I'm trying to find that balance. And to answer your question, no there was never an episode with demons that took over a high school. There has been an episode with a spirit that terrorized a high school. You should watch it, it's one of my favorites. Sadly enough, however, I can't think of the name of the episode. I'll look it up and let you know.****Moving on...This chapter took a bit of work from me and that's why I couldn't update when I said I would. It's shorter than the others, and I did try to make it longer, but it wouldn't have worked out. That said, I hope you enjoy! Let me know in the reviews! **

"Bella! Please, keep fighting!" Dad's voice was almost unrecognizable in the darkness.

He was in my dream now, too? Weird. It was usually just Mom.

"Someone page Dr. Cullen. Now!" I didn't recognize the woman's voice. She seemed awfully stressed. Someone should give her a chill pill.

"I'm here!" That was a voice I recognized well. It was the clearest, in the darkness. Dr. Cullen.

The erratic beating changed into one long high pitched note. I couldn't hear my heart beat anymore. The weight was becoming more and more unbearable and the haziness was growing worse, until I no longer heard the voices or the beeping.

.::.

The weight was gone, but the darkness still remained. The feeling of confusion had lifted, too, and I could now remember things. Alistair had killed me. And just as I had previously thought, there was no light in death, just cold darkness.

I heard the beeping again, and briefly wondered why. The beeping was accompanied by my heartbeat; again it was keeping in time to it. The rhythm was smoother and almost soothing. I liked it. Maybe death wasn't so bad.

My thought process finally caught up to me. It dawned on me right then and there that I wasn't dead. Alistair had done something much worse to me. The panic that I had worked for years to keep under control traveled through me like an unstoppable electric current. I was blind.

"Bella, please, no, not again!" Dad's voice once again sliced the thick darkness. This time I could clearly hear the agony in its quality.

"Dad! I'm blind!" I shouted despite myself.

Dad didn't hear me. "Nurse!" He shouted, his terror replacing his agony. "Bella, please listen to me. You have to wake up. I already lost your mother. Don't put me through losing you!"

It took me a minute to wrap my thoughts around what he was saying. I wasn't awake? So that meant…Oh shit. I was in a coma. My panic hit a new height.

The voice of reason finally broke through. It was just a coma. I should consider myself lucky. Blindness was something I probably couldn't recover from. But a coma—and this one seemed to be a light coma—was something that I had a chance to fight.

I could hear my heart rate settling.

"Thank you, Bells." The relief colored Charlie's tone and I instantly felt much better.

Despite all of that, though, I wasn't out of the woods yet. I hoped he knew that.

"Hello, Chief Swan." Yes! Edward had made it out alive. From what I could hear in his voice, he seemed fine. But there was something I couldn't quite detect about his tone that broke my heart.

"Edward, call me Charlie. It's because of you, that Lowell didn't kill my daughter. His tone was bleak, but there was detectable gratitude there. Charlie chuckled darkly. "Don't look so surprised. Mr. Varner told me everything…before he passed away."

"I wasn't going to let her die. I just wish that I had been able to save Mr. Varner, as well." The guilt in Edward's subdued response sent chills down my spine. What had happened to Mr. Varner? Unless Alistair had done something wicked to his body before he left it. I felt a tinge of rage and it only grew worse when I couldn't express it properly.

Charlie sighed audibly. "There was no way that he could have been saved. Lowell tore him up pretty badly. Your father and the rest of the ER staff had a hard enough time keeping him alive long enough to get the statement from him." He paused and was silent for a bit. "Mr. Varner held on for quite awhile though. He fought for every breath, but that stubborn man…got his story out." His voice broke. Stress? Fear? I couldn't be sure.

"He didn't deserve what he received." Edward sounded pained as he spoke.

There was a faint sound of a shifting chair. "Don't beat yourself up over this, Edward. This isn't your fault. Lowell will be brought to justice for his crimes soon. I've got my deputies on the job."

There was silence for a long time. I didn't know whether I had gone to sleep again, or if they were just off in their own little worlds.

"Charlie." It was Edward who broke the intense silence. "Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and have something to eat.?"

Charlie was hesitant in tone. "I don't know…"

"I'll watch her." Edward sounded more like he was vowing to protect the world, rather than watch over me. But the fog was coming back, and I knew I probably had the meanings of their tones misconstrued. It was hard to analyze them when I couldn't see their faces either.

.::.

"Bella? I know you can't possibly hear me, but I would like you to know that I am actively hunting your monster." His tone was treacherously violent. No! He couldn't do that! Alistair may have let him live this time, but he didn't give out second chances. Ever.

"Don't be stupid, Edward!" I screamed, but I knew he couldn't hear me.

"I'll find it, Bella. He has to possess another sometime." His tone changed. The heartbreaking guilt had returned again. "This time, I know what it is. I won't make the mistake of attacking it head on again. I'm just sorry that I learned that lesson at Mr. Varner's expense."

"You attacked him?" Again I spoke in disbelief that only fell on deaf ears. I had to remember that I could neither move or speak. All I could do was listen and be unheard.

"I still can't believe that he listened to you." The new unrecognizable voice, was brought down to a whisper, but I knew that the voice was the type that filled a room when allowed to.

"Emmett, you are supposed to be outside protecting the hospital!" Edward hissed. So it was his bull of a brother, Emmett who owned the voice.

Emmett laughed freely. "Carlisle just completed a five mile in diameter, ring of salt. No demon is going to get through…"

"—it doesn't matter! I don't want you around _her_."

"Chill out, bro." Emmett was slightly offended. "There's no blood. I'm not even remotely thirsty." Blood? Thirst? What the hell?

"Don't lie to me." Edward threatened. "I know what you are thinking about."

Emmett seemed to have ignored his threat. "How did you do it? From what I hear, she was bleeding like a river from that gash on her head. I would have thought, that you would have drained her before you reached Carlisle." He was full of genuine curiosity, maybe a bit of awe. I couldn't tell. The dark scene was starting to become murky yet again.

Edward snarled. Things were starting to happen within my head. I could feel something lifting. A fog that wasn't aware of, apart from the one that kept consuming me in the darkness of my coma. Doors were opening up.

"It was easy…once I realized what I wanted more." Edward responded quietly.

"What are you talking about, Edward?" Damn this inability to talk. Why couldn't I wake up already?

"So, it was like with Rosalie and me…except you didn't bring her to Carlisle to be turned."

"Exactly." Edward seemed proud, and a bit as awestricken as Emmett had been..

"But you can't possibly love her." Emmett blurted out suddenly. Love me? Why would he? He didn't even know me.

Edward was silent.

"Oh, bro. She's human!" Emmett was incredulous.

"What do you mean, _she's human_? You're human, too bozo!" What I wouldn't give for them to hear me now.

The fog was growing heavier. A new development was forming. I felt as if I were being sucked into a vortex, but for some odd reason I wasn't afraid.

"It was never my intention. I've been watching her since the night of the celebration. I was worried about her. She did seem ill." Edward exhaled heavily. "At first I was curious as to why I couldn't read her mind…but the curiousity soon developed into something…that I never thought possibly." He cleared his throat. "I am not going to pursue anything. I just want to ensure that she is safe."

"She's never safe around you. You're a vampire." _Vampire. _A door flew wide open. Vampire! I was sucked right on through that door, as every single memory that I was denied came crashing down on me, like the anvil on Wile E. Coyote.

.::.

"Bella, wake up! Wake up!" Mom was shaking me hard. I groaned and rolled over. "Five minutes." My words slurred.

She persisted. "Bella, something has broken through our security. We need you up, now!" Now I heard the terror plain as day and my body began to move.

I finally jumped out of bed, when the full force of her words sank in. "It broke through _everything_?"

"Almost everything, one defense is still up." Her tone rose an octave. "But it tore through all the more powerful ones like paper. It'll get through this one…in a matter of minutes."

"What the hell is it?"

"I don't know." More terror and dread. I wanted to hug her but I reframed from doing so. There was obviously not much time.

What could be strong enough to break through our protective charms, spells, salt boundaries, and iron gates? For a fleeting moment I was scared. I got down on my knees and dragged my shotgun out from underneath my bed. It was always ready and loaded for when I needed it. From my nightstand I also grabbed my glock. It was loaded with silver pure bullets. I didn't know what we were up against—obviously not a demon—so I had to be prepared for anything. I kept my shotgun in hand. If it didn't work it would at least slow down our attacker so I could grab the glock which I had hidden from view.

"Phil has already called, Henry, Jacob, and Billy. But he doesn't think they'll get here in time." She grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me to her. She hugged me so hard that I thought I was going to suffocate. She was shaking, and I was suddenly afraid. Another minute passed and she let me go. She took my face in her hands and made me look at her. "If you survive…go live in Forks, Washington."

What did she mean if I survive? If I survived this, so would she. I pressed her for more information. "What's in Fo—"

"Don't talk, Bella. Just listen." When I nodded, she continued. "Your father's name is Charlie…he's the chief of police there. He'll take you in. He's a good man that never deserved an unfaithful bitch like me. He needs you, and you need him. I want you to go there, and start your new life. I need you to be a normal teenager for me, baby. Go to school, make friends, go to college, and do all of the things you were supposed to do. Forget this life. It was never for us."

Something shattered in the front room. A window perhaps?

"Bella, Promise!" Mom was becoming more and more anxious.

There was gunfire. It sounded like a shotgun. Then something happened that I would have never, in my wildest dreams thought would ever occur: Phil screamed.

"Fine, Mom. I promise!" Mom let go of me at once, and she was gone. Instinct told me to leave behind my shotgun. I dropped it on my bed, and drew my handgun. There was More gunfire as I entered the room. I saw the monster at once. His skin was alabaster, and it seemed to be set aglow by the moonlight that shone through the broken window. It looked human, but there was nothing human about him. It had Phil in his clutches, and he was slowly making his way towards the back wall.

Mom rushed forward. Her long knife raised and ready to sink it into any piece of flesh she could find. I watched in horror as the knife shattered as soon as it's point hit, the monster's skin. For some reason I was not surprised.

The monster reacted. It dropped Phil and took hold of my mother's neck. It seemed the resulting crack could be heard from miles away. Mom's body went limp. It was at that precise moment that I made a mistake no seasoned hunter would have been stupid enough to make. I let the emotions take hold of me.

Instead of realizing that there was no possible way to beat this thing, I removed the safety from my weapon and fired at him as he went back to retrieve Phil, who was crawling along the floor towards me. My bullet's bounced off the monster's skin as if he were made of granite. Instead they plowed right through the walls. One grazed my shoulder.

The monster kept moving towards Phil. I kept squeezing the trigger until the bullets ran out, in hopes that one would find a home in the monster's head. The monster never flinched. What the hell was this thing? The monster was suddenly gone, and so were Phil and Mom.

"Over here, child." I shivered as I followed the voice. I realized it was the monster that had spoken. I was surprised that something so evil could speak at all. It had crossed the other side of the room quicker than I ever could have imagined, too. My eyes widened in shock as I took in the scene. Phil and Mom were impaled on coat hooks now. Phil was shaking violently, still alive and trying to free himself. Mom never moved. She wasn't going to suffer like the rest of us.

The monster laughed, before he did something unthinkable. He punched a hole in Phil's chest, and when he withdrew his hand again…he was holding Phil's still beating heart. I watched Phil's eyes widen and then mercifully, there was no life in them.

I attempted to charge at him again. He beat me. He had me by the throat before I could even blink. How could something move so quickly? It was impossible. "What are you?" I choked.

He tilted his head to the side and grinned. Though they appeared to be normal teeth, they were shockingly frightening in the dim light that the moon provided, through the shattered window. His eyes were vibrant and a dark shade of crimson. They were filled with hunger.

"Well, I guess since I'm going to kill you anyway…I should tell you…"

I tried to wriggle out of his grip, he held on tighter effectively cutting off my air completely.

"I'm a vampire." Vampire? Vampires didn't exist. They had been extinct since Samuel Colt created that gun. He kept talking and I didn't have time to process what he was saying. "And you are the appetizer before my main cou—"

Suddenly he was gone. I fell to the floor in crumpled mess.

"James, I told you that your job was only to take down their security and incapacitate the family, as in destroy their weapons, and cut their phone lines." The other voice sounded severely annoyed. "But since you've decided to take initiative and kill my nuisances for me, I suppose you might as well feast as I've promised."

I lifted myself up with my arms and sat up. My heart sank as I came face to face with the second most dangerous demon known to hunters. His opaque yellow eyes bore into mine as he grinned.

"Azazel." I gasped.

"Ah so you've heard of me." He seemed pleased by this.

Any hunter who had ever gone after a demon had heard of Azazel. They'd have to be living in a cave to not have heard of Azazel. The word was that he had escaped from hell in the 1950's and had been terrorizing families ever since.

"You kill mothers for fun." I spat, feeling brave. I was going to die anyway.

Azazel picked me up. He cupped my face in his hands. His touch burned with the intensity of molten lava and I tried to pull away. He only held on tighter. "That's where you are wrong. I have a purpose for my work. But to explain it to a simple mind like yours would be a waste of my time."

I was insulted. "You bastard. I swear I'll get you for this."

He raised his eyebrows cockily. "Ah, now I know who you are. I recognize that bottomless arrogance from my sister's tales. You are Isabella Swan."

He grazed the length of the scar on my cheek with his index finger. There was something else in his eyes now. I recognized it as pure unrestrained lust. I nearly gagged with revulsion.

"What was your purpose for coming here?" I demanded in an attempt to keep him talking, so that he wouldn't do anything else.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." He responded with a sigh. He dropped me on the ground hard and knelt down beside me. He looked over for a moment, towards the back wall. I instinctively followed and instantly wished that I hadn't. The vampire had his face buried in Phil's neck. My mother's intestines were hanging down at her feet.

I tried to get up for another attempt at revenge. No dice. Azazel held me there.

"Come along, James. We have further business to attend to." He called.

I heard a snarl but I couldn't look over. "What about the girl? You said I could feast on _all_ of them."

"No, James. The girl lives. She's far too interesting to kill off so soon. She poses no threat at all."

James roared in outrage. Obviously he didn't like this new development. "She knows about vampires! We have to kill her now!" He was there beside Azazel now and if that were possible he looked even more frightening.

"There is a solution to every problem. This time death happens to be the answer we don't want. I'll tidy up her memory a bit, if it'll make you feel better."

He pressed his fingers to my forehead and I plunged right back into darkness.

.::.

When I immerged from the ebony abyss, I was no longer in the room with all the blood and gore. I was in the middle of a forest, seated on a rock beside a waterfall. I was close to it, yet I couldn't feel the mist hitting my face. I looked down at myself. I was covered in nothing but a thin hospital gown. There was an IV attached to my arm, but why? Why was I dressed like this?

"Bella. Bella. Bella. I'm very ashamed that it took this long for you to figure all of this out."

I rose from the boulder. Azazel stood before me in all his evil glory. This was the answer. I had not just been at the house in California. That had taken place months ago. It had been nothing more than a realistic flashback, triggered by my freed memories.

"Why did you do this to me?" I asked cautiously. A very strong part of me didn't want to know the answer.

"What? Tamper with your memory? I was doing you a favor. I needed to ensure that you got to Forks. I knew that if I left in your memory the knowledge of vampires, you'd try and hunt James and undoubtedly get yourself disemboweled in the process." He snickered, probably imagining the event. "So I thought I'd just lock up those memories for a bit and let you get settled in Forks…I never imagined the result."

"Why did you need me to come to Forks so badly?" I pressed. Again the dread told me that I didn't want to know.

Something about my question set Azazel off in a fit of manic laughter. When he finally calmed down his answer chilled me down to my very core. "To witness the start of the end of the world of course." His laughter filled the air again.

"What do you mean?" My fists were tightly balled now. I definitely didn't want to hear this, but again it was my responsibility to get as much as I could out of him, so that I could try and stop what he was up to.

He pursed his lips and sighed. "Why do you have to be so nosy…fine." He leaned up against a nearby evergreen and trained his yellow eyes on me. "Well…" He shook his head suddenly and straightened out. "No. Never mind. I'm not going to tell you a thing. I'll let you figure this out on your own. But I promise you, it's quite a surprise."

I had managed to somehow move close to him. I rammed my fist into him, and surprisingly it went right through him, as if he were nothing but air. He stopped laughing and stared at me intently.

"Bella? Did you just…try to hit me?"

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. It was an expression as fake as many of the tabloids I had perused in the local supermarket here in Forks. The laughter started once again confirming my suspicions.

"You're still dreaming, Isabella. I'm merely a part of it." He informed me with a cold smirk.

"So you aren't in Forks?" I asked while carefully masking my hope.

"No, I'm not in Forks." Azazel's answering grin made me sick to my stomach. "Yet. My family will call for me when it's time to make my appearance."

Before I could convince him to give me more answers, his hand was pressed to my forehead again.

"See you soon, Bella."

.::.

When I opened my eyes, they burned in the bright light. There was yet another discomfort I was aware of. I gagged and sputtered. The heart monitor was going erratic again.

"Bella?" Edward. All those memories came flooding back, but before I could search him out, a young nurse rushed in and looked at me with surprise-widened eyes.

"You're awake!" She yelped as she rushed over to my bedside.

I felt her pull the tape from my cheek before she slid the breathing tube from out of my throat. I coughed and sputtered some more. The taste was extremely unpleasant.

"I'll call, Chief Swan at once." Edward was walking out of the room. I could hear his footsteps.

"No!" I rasped in between coughs. "I-I need…to talk to you."

"I promised your father I would call him at the station if there were any changes."

He was making excuses to leave the room. I searched out his face. The nurse moved aside and I could see him clearly. He appeared anxious to leave. Did he know that I knew about him now? How could he?

"I'll make the call." The nurse offered.

"Go." I urged her, giving Edward no reason to leave.

The nurse left and I struggled to sit up.

"Bella, don't. You'll hurt yourself." Edward cautioned as he moved slowly toward the bed.

"Don't worry about me. I've been through the worst already."

His expression became haunted in response. "I know." He didn't look at me, instead he seated himself in the teal faux leather seat and stared at his pallid hands.

I knew I didn't have much time, so I set tact aside and leaned over the railing a bit. "Edward, I know what you are."

That got his attention. He stared at me, his amber eyes scrutinizing every inch of my face.

"What am I?" He tried to imply that he wasn't convinced. His tone even challenged me. But I could see that fear. I had to be careful with this.

"You're a vampire."

He went completely stiff and if that were possibly, his skin took on an even lighter shade. "How do you know?" He wasn't going to deny anything. That made things a lot easier.

"I-I couldn't remember at first…but I know now exactly how my mother and step-father were killed." I whispered quietly. "We had set up all sorts of different enchantments to protect the house from demons and the like. What we couldn't defend ourselves from, was something we didn't know existed…vampires. A very powerful demon used him to get into the house." Tears blurred my vision and I struggled to keep myself under control. "He massacred my family." Edward's expression was staggering, and I fought to keep explaining. "But I know that you and your family are different. You're eyes and demeanors are completely different from that vampire who killed my family."

He didn't respond for a long time. He just stared at me. His eyes finally darkened with pain as he got to his feet. "I'd better go, Bella."

"Edward, you're secret is safe with me!"

He walked over to the bed and padded my hand. "I know." He didn't look at me. "But _you_ are not safe with me."

Before I could even react to his words he was gone. I felt empty, and alone again. Charlie entered the room only thirty seconds later and I did my best to smile bravely at him.

"Bella!" He rushed over to the bed. He looked me over. His eyes were full of relief. "You look really good for someone who has just been in a coma."

No doubt that Azazel worked some of his power on me to make me healthier than I should be.

"I feel pretty good, too." I lied. My thoughts were on Edward's departure. I hope he wasn't planning on leaving Forks. I still remembered ever bit of that conversation that he had, had with Emmett. I had questions. But I still wasn't sure why every part of my being didn't care that Edward was a vampire. I knew he was different, but I didn't how different.

"Bella, it's just so good to hear your voice."

"It's good to be able to see you again." I responded as I relaxed back into my pillows.

"Oh, Bella, before I forget…Happy Birthday."

So, I had made it to my seventeenth birthday. The coma had nearly killed me but I had beaten it. Azazel had allowed it to happen which only meant that he wasn't done with me; which also meant that whatever questions I had for Edward had to take a backseat while I tried to stop Azazel and his family from going through with their plans. Happy birthday to me.

**Loved it? Hated it? Let me know in the reviews! I'd really appreciate it! Thank you! :)**


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